"Stolen" Review

 Book: Stolen

Author: Lucy Christopher

Format: E-book

Page Count: 306

Publisher: Scholastic Inc.; 1 edition (February 1, 2011)

My Review:  ★★★★

Synopsis: It happened like this. I was stolen from an airport. Taken from everything I knew, everything I was used to. Taken to sand and heat, dirt and danger. And he expected me to love him.

This is my story.

A letter from nowhere.

Sixteen year old Gemma is kidnapped from Bangkok airport and taken to the Australian Outback. This wild and desolate landscape becomes almost a character in the book, so vividly is it described. Ty, her captor, is no stereotype. He is young, fit and completely gorgeous. This new life in the wilderness has been years in the planning. He loves only her, wants only her. Under the hot glare of the Australian sun, cut off from the world outside, can the force of his love make Gemma love him back?

The story takes the form of a letter, written by Gemma to Ty, reflecting on those strange and disturbing months in the outback. Months when the lines between love and obsession, and love and dependency, blur until they don't exist - almost.

      As a warning this review is going to be longer than usual and will have some spoilers in it, SO PROCEED WITH CAUTION.
      This book was absolutely fantastic. Story aside, the writing style was very unique and beautiful. It starts of writing from first person past, always referring to the captor as "you" since it is a letter to Ty, and the actions are in the past. Then once the reflection of the kidnapping has past, the style changes to present and conditional, discussing what she is doing and might possibly do. The transitions to each style is beautiful and the wording is magnificent. Lucy Christopher did an amazing job putting together this story in such an individual story.
      Now the actual story. The story was so captivating. I found myself shipping Gemma and Ty, despite the fact that I knew it was wrong. In a sick twisted way, Ty really did care for Gemma, and the care and attention he gave her was sweet in an odd way. He never tried to force her to do anything she truly didn't want to do. I also loved the progression we saw in the way Gemma viewed Ty. She starts off intrigued by the handsome stranger (but we learn later he truly isn't a stranger), to disgusted by the creep who kidnapped her and watched her for years, to borderline love because of the way he watched out for her and viewed her. I mean there were time when she longed for him when he was away from her and I was so intrigued that she went from seeing him in the same room, to cuddling with in the sand in the desert.
      When Gemma is bit by the snake and Ty willingly allows himself to be turned in so he can save her, I almost cried. I was awed at how he would put Gemma's life before his freedom.
      Overall the book had me feeling so many emotions, from creeped out, to loving their relationship. I loved the writing and this book is definitely on my favorite's list.